Sabarimala theft: Vijayan questions Prakash's link to accused in photo

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan questions Congress MP Adoor Prakash's link to the Sabarimala theft accused after a photo with Sonia Gandhi surfaced. Prakash denies it, blaming the CMO. The probe is overseen by the High Court, with recent arrests made.

CM Vijayan Questions Congress MP's Link to Accused

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan levied serious allegations against UDF convener and Congress MP Adoor Prakash, after the emergence of a photograph of the latter with Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the prime accused in the Sabarimala theft case, Unnikrishnan Potti. Vijayan questioned how Potti reached Sonia Gandhi, suggesting that the accused has close ties with Adoor Prakash.

"At what stage does the name of Adoor Prakash come into this issue? His name surfaced when a photograph emerged. I had referred to this in the previous press conference. The photograph showed Sonia Gandhi along with two others from Pathanamthitta and Adoor Prakash, who was the MP from Pathanamthitta at the time," Vijayan said.

"Who were the people standing next to Sonia Gandhi? One of them was Potti, who has now emerged as a key accused in this case. It was said that Potti was 'brought in'. Where was he first brought in? That was the occasion. Potti did not reach there alone; along with him were others, including a trader whom the investigation team has now identified as the person who purchased the gold," he added. Raising a series of questions, the Chief Minister said, "How did these two individuals manage to reach, at the same time, someone like Sonia Gandhi -- a political leader with the highest level of security in India? The person (Adoor Prakash) who made allegations against the Chief Minister's Office claimed that he had no role and that he went there because he was invited. Is he someone who must go whenever Potti calls? Why should he go to Potti's call? How did all these people come together?"

Prakash Alleges CMO Involvement

This development came after Congress MP Adoor Prakash's claim that the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) and Vijayan's Political Secretary, P. Sasi, were behind media reports alleging that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had summoned Prakash for questioning in the Sabarimala gold theft case.

High Court Supervising Probe

Responding to the allegation, Vijayan said such accusations were being made habitually and were intended to divert attention from the core issues under investigation. "Responding to allegations raised habitually by some people will never really bring an end to such reactions," the Chief Minister said, while underlining that the probe is being conducted under the direct supervision of the Kerala High Court. "One fact that everyone has been clearly aware of from the beginning must be noted that the investigation in our State is being conducted under the supervision of the High Court. It is well known that the High Court is leading this process," Vijayan said.

The Sabarimala Gold Controversy

The Sabarimala gold controversy centres on allegations of irregularities in the gold plating at the Sabarimala temple. This situation arose from a 1998 donation of 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper by industrialist Vijay Mallya, intended for the cladding of the sanctum sanctorum and the wooden carvings of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala.

Investigation Updates and Arrests

Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused, was reportedly taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on October 17. The SIT, which is investigating the matter, submitted its second report to the Kerala High Court, revealing serious irregularities in the minutes of the Travancore Devaswom Board. On Monday, the Special Investigation Team probing the Sabarimala gold theft case made another arrest, taking former Travancore Devaswom Board member Vijayakumar into custody from Thiruvananthapuram. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)